LANSING – The Pure Michigan campaign had its biggest impact ever in 2012, attracting 3.8 million out-of-state visitors to Michigan, where they spent a record high of $1.1 billion at Michigan businesses, according to a just-completed report by Longwoods International.

The report, released at the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Detroit, found the Pure Michigan campaign generated 580,000 more trips to Michigan in 2012 than in 2011. $79.1 million in new state tax revenues were generated as a result of the $1.1 billion spent by these visitors at Michigan businesses.

The return on investment for the award-winning Pure Michigan campaign also continued to climb in 2012. When compared to the $13.7 million spent on out-of-state advertising for the Pure Michigan campaign in 2012, the $79.1 million in tax revenue received by the state resulted in a return on investment of $5.76 for every $1 spent.

The cumulative return on investment since the Pure Michigan campaign began in 2006 is now $4.10, up from $3.70.

“The Pure Michigan campaign plays a vital role in growing our tourism industry by consistently attracting new visitors to Michigan and delivering a strong return on investment for the state,” said Gov. Rick Snyder. “These impressive results showcase the power of Pure Michigan, and demonstrate the vast potential we are seeking to tap into with our efforts to expand this campaign into international markets.”

Of the 3.8 million out-of-state visitors the Pure Michigan campaign attracted last summer, 2.3 million came from the Great Lakes region and 1.5 million came from distant markets around the country. In 2011, the Pure Michigan summer advertising campaign motivated a total of 3.2 million trips from out-of-state – 2 million from the Great Lakes region and 1.2 million from distant markets.

The 2013 Pure Michigan national advertising campaign launched March 18 and is currently airing on more than 25 cable channels. The national campaign television ads, which include national partner ads from Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Mackinac Island, The Henry Ford and Traverse City, will air more than 5,000 times through June. The total budget for the 2013 national campaign is $13 million.

“The positive impact of the Pure Michigan campaign, illustrated by this data, provides a strong foundation for our efforts to raise awareness of Michigan as a national travel destination through our largest advertising campaign to date,” said George Zimmermann, vice president of Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. “With a new five-year, statewide tourism industry strategic plan in place and a high level of engagement at the local level, we are in a terrific position to capitalize on this growing number of out-of-state visitors choosing Michigan as their vacation destination.”

Michigan’s 2012 National and Regional Tourism Advertising Campaign Evaluation and Image Study is available on the reports page of MichiganAdvantage.org.